PAKISTAN, UNFCCC LEADERSHIP HOLD HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON CLIMATE FINANCE, ADAPTATION & COP30 PRIORITIES
Family photo of high-level dignitaries attending the Belém Climate Summit
Belem, Brazil – November 19, 2025
Pakistan and the UNFCCC Secretariat held a high-level bilateral meeting on Wednesday to review critical COP30 negotiation themes, climate finance needs, and Pakistan’s updated national commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The meeting took place between Ms. Aisha Humera Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Head of Delegation to COP30 and Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC), and Mr. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, at the COP30 venue in the Amazonian city of Belem.
According to an official statement, both sides discussed Pakistan’s enhanced climate ambition, ongoing transparency efforts, and the global community’s responsibility to ensure the delivery of climate finance at scale.
Pakistan’s Enhanced NDC and Rising Climate Finance Needs
Ms. Chaudhry informed the UNFCCC chief that Pakistan had submitted its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) in September 2025—an enhanced roadmap outlining a mitigation pathway up to 2035. She highlighted that Pakistan had revised its domestically financed mitigation share from 15% to 17%, reaffirming the country’s commitment to global climate goals despite economic pressures.
However, she stressed that Pakistan’s full 50% emissions-reduction target remains dependent on international climate finance, estimating a requirement of US$565 billion by 2035. She noted that pledged financial support from the international community “has yet to materialize at the required scale,” undermining global progress towards limiting warming to 1.5°C.
“Pakistan is meeting its reporting obligations through NDCs and Biennial Transparency Reports, but we are not seeing commensurate delivery from the other side,” she remarked, calling for accelerated financing, technology transfer, and meaningful international cooperation.
Adaptation as an Equal Priority
Mr. Stiell appreciated Pakistan’s timely submission of updated NDCs and sought clarity on the country’s expectations from COP30. Ms. Chaudhry emphasized that Adaptation must be treated on par with Mitigation, given the escalating climate risks faced by vulnerable developing nations.
She called for a clear Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) along with significantly scaled-up resources, warning that “even a tripling of adaptation finance would remain insufficient due to the extremely low baseline.”
The Secretary urged for additional, grant-based finance for the implementation of National Adaptation Plans, NDCs, resilience programmes, and operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund in line with existing commitments.
Pakistan Highlights Cryosphere and Glacier Risks
Ms. Chaudhry also drew attention to Pakistan’s fragile mountain ecosystems—the Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalayan ranges—hosting more than 13,000 glaciers and globally significant biodiversity. She briefed the UNFCCC leadership on Pakistan’s COP30 high-level event on cryosphere risks and the new Cross-Regional Glacier Resilience Initiative, aimed at fostering shared learning among climate-vulnerable countries.
Referring to the 2025 floods and repeated GLOF events, she said these disasters illustrated the growing magnitude of climate threats. She formally invited the UNFCCC leadership to participate in the Cross-Regional Glacier Resilience Summit to be hosted by Pakistan next year.
Strengthening Climate Partnerships
The meeting also covered Pakistan’s climate investment platform and its ongoing collaboration with the NDC Partnership, a global coalition that supports nations in achieving their climate commitments.
